How having a professional profile can help you stand out
When you apply for a role, most hirers will have just a few minutes to review your application.
That means providing clear, concise information about you is key to standing out in those few minutes.
This is where a professional profile can help. While your resume and cover letter are the building blocks of a strong job application, an online profile will give employers an overview of your skills and experience at a glance, helping to capture their attention.
Through your professional profile, employers can get in touch with you about a great job opportunity, while you’ll also recieve job recommendations based on the information you provide. Your profile can be automatically included as part of your job application and depending on how visible you want your profile to be, can be searchable by employers, even if you haven’t applied for a job with them.
Here’s more on how you can use your professional profile to stand out during your job search.
More control over your job search
Reading through hundreds of job ads and applying for each one can be time consuming, and having a professional profile can take away a lot of this work.
SEEK’s Head of Product (Profile & Apply), Jacqui McCudden says SEEK has developed tools so you no longer have to scroll through pages of ads to find the right roles for you.
“Instead, you can flick a switch to have the recruiter or employer contact you, as well as be notified of jobs that meet your saved criteria,” she says.
A professional profile helps you find roles that align with what you’re looking for as you can choose when to be visible to companies. “It puts the candidate in the driver’s seat, where it used to be the company”, she adds.
Make a great first impression, quickly
Most hirers spend under five minutes reviewing your application before deciding whether to progress you or not. That means you need to quickly make a great first impression.
Giving employers a brief summary of your skills and experience is key to standing out, and that’s exactly what a professional profile does.
A professional profile with SEEK has been designed to highlight information that’s important to hirers, says McCudden.
“We know what hirers need to know about candidates for different role types, in order to make a decision on who might best fill the position,” she says. “SEEK Profiles allow you to stand out by presenting all the relevant information to the hirer.”
A professional profile could be the ticket to landing that that next great opportunity, but not if you’re lacking the essential information potential employers are looking for.
This is why it’s important to keep your profile updated, even if you’re not actively seeking work. If a candidate’s experience is out of date, a recruiter will skip over their profile, even if they’re a great fit for the job. “
Arm yourself with relevant job matches and trends
A professional profile not only allows you to stand out to hirers, but also helps keep you informed about the job market and your industry. The more up-to-date information you provide, the better your search experience will be as you’ll be served more relevant job opportunities that complement your needs, experience and interests.
Additionally, the information you provide in your profile will help ensure you’re served relevant information about employment and salary trends in your industry.
“When navigating your career, knowledge is power; whether that be knowing the market dynamic and whether your role is in demand, knowing how much your skills and experience might be worth, or knowing how to navigate an interview process while keeping calm and in control,” McCudden explains.
Understanding salary trends for your role or location and market insights can be incredibly powerful. It means that when you do feel ready to make that next move or put your feelers out there even out of curiosity, you are equipped with essential information.”
Boost your chances of getting headhunted
Being headhunted – where an employer approaches you with a role – is much easier than job hunting.
Even if you’re not actively looking for a job, there may be great opportunities out there that you don’t know about. Having a professional profile means you won’t miss out on seeing these.
Having a complete and up-to-date professional profile that lists not only your skills and experience, but also what you’re looking for in your next role, makes it easier for businesses and recruiters to come to you with relevant opportunities.
Build your personal brand
Your professional profile can also be an extension of your professional brand – acting like your own online marketing tool that works 24/7. In fact, 39% of job seekers agree that a professional profile allows them to add their personality in to make their application stand out.
So it’s important to keep your profile updated, even if you’re not actively seeking work.
Getting started
A professional profile is a great way to make yourself relevant and appealing to potential employers, and edge you closer to your next job. It can be your best asset in keeping your career options open. Learn more about what a SEEK Profile is, or set your Profile up online today.
Source: Independent research conducted by Nature on behalf of SEEK. Interviewing 4800 Australians annually. Published February 2024.